


You've Got Mail!

by shadowandrhyme



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-22
Updated: 2013-04-22
Packaged: 2017-12-09 05:37:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/770619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowandrhyme/pseuds/shadowandrhyme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The thing was, Sidney liked his job. (Or, the one where Sidney is a postman and what his jobs brings into his life.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	You've Got Mail!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [july_v](https://archiveofourown.org/users/july_v/gifts).



> I was in mood to write, so I got a prompt and wrote this? All mistakes are mine, but I hope there aren't many.

The thing was, Sidney liked his job. It wasn't special, he knew, and most people would hate it, but Sidney didn't hate it. He didn't hate the constant walking and carrying the heavy bag, he didn't hate the dogs barking at him as if he was going to steal their food; he didn't even mind the grumpy old men who sat on the bench in front of the retirement home, complaining about the weather and Sidney being late with their newspaper and constantly asking him if he found a nice young lady already.

Sidney didn't have the heart to tell them he didn't want a nice young lady, rather a nice young gentleman. A part of his mind that was quite honest would add that he knew exactly which nice young gentleman, too.

Evgeni lived on the first floor of one of the blocks of flats that were part of Sidney's area. A few times a month he received thick letters with awkwardly written address, as if whoever was sending them didn't quite know how to write in English. But he was always waiting for Sidney, smiling widely, and Sidney gave him the newspaper. They were for an old couple who lived on the third floor and had troubles walking up and down the stairs. So Evgeni always got the newspaper and ran upstairs to deliver it, even though he didn't have to. And Sidney kind of adored him.

It was silly, he knew, because he didn't know Evgeni at all. He knew his names, because of the letters, and he knew he was nice and generous and liked to help and always smiled widely and honestly. He spoke with heavy accent, occasionally saying the greeting in Russian without realising it, and his hair was messy and Sidney thought, okay, he was really crushing on Evgeni hard.

He noticed something was different – wrong – immediately because Evgeni wasn't waiting for him downstairs like he usually did. Sidney hesitated, holding the newspaper in his hand and wondering if he should just put it in the mailbox. But the old couple had troubles walking down the stairs and then back up, so maybe he should carry it upstairs? He shifted his weight and then impulsively reached forward and pressed the bell next to the name Evgeni Malkin.

“ _Da_?” Evgeni's voice sounded robotic through the intercom. “' _Allo_?”

“Um,” Sidney started, feeling stupid. Maybe this was a stupid idea. “This is Sidney Crosby. Uh, the postman.” Why did he have to say his name? It wasn't relevant at all. “I brought the newspaper for Mr. Spearrit? Uh, you usually wait, and. Uh.”

“Oh,” Evgeni breathed out, making the intercom crackle. “I come down. Wait.”

Sidney felt stupid, tugging on his messager bag as he waited for Evgeni. The other came down a few minutes later, wearing sweatpants and a plain black T-shirt. He looked tired when he took the newspaper from Sidney and Sidney instantly felt bad. “I'm sorry I bothered you,” he said.

Evgeni shook his head. “Mrs. Spearrit die yesterday,” he said, “Mr. Spearrit go with daughter.” 

Sidney blinked. “What?” he said, even though there was nothing to not understand. “But that's...”

“Bad,” Evgeni finished for Sidney, looking like he knew exactly how Sidney felt. “I think, cancel newspaper. I think Mr. Spearrit not want anymore.”

Sidney nodded stupidly. He never even talked to Mr. or Mrs. Spearrit, he didn't even have the right to feel so sad. “I'm sorry,” he mumbled eventually, looking at Evgeni. 

“Yes, thank you,” Evgeni said softly, smiling lightly. “I need go,” he added, nodding at the door. 

“Oh, of course. Sorry,” Sidney replied. “I should go as well.”

“Bye,” Evgeni said before walking back inside the building, leaving Sidney by the door. 

“Bye,” Sidney mumbled, adjusting his messager bag on his shoulder, and then walked away to get his job done for the day.

He didn't see Evgeni for what felt like ages, even though it wasn't more than two weeks. But even those days were enough to show Sidney that he missed Evgeni, missed his smile and messy hair and accented English. The next time he had a letter for him, the name of the street Evgeni lived at misspelled, he didn't push it into Evgeni's mailbox, but pressed the bell instead. 

“ _Da_?” Evgeni's voice was heard through the intercom almost immediately.

“You've got mail,” Sidney said in his best bussiness voice, but his heart skipped a beat and he felt giddy. It was ridiculous, he was sure. “Please, come down, you have to sign the delivery.”

There was a moment of pause before Evgeni replied: “Yes. I come down.”

Sidney's heart was beating in a weird, crazy way as he waited, and it definitely skipped another beat when Evgeni opened the door. He looked the same – of course he did, Sidney scolded himself, only two weeks passed – and he looked surprised at the sight of Sidney, but he smiled. “ _Privet_ ,” he said, “hello.”

Sidney smiled back instictively. “Hello. So, um, here's the letter.” He handed Evgeni the letter which was perfectly ordinary and didn't require signing anything. 

Evgeni seemed to notice it, because he raised one eyebrow and said: “Is all?”

Sidney nodded, then shook his head and the words just flew out of his mouth before he could think about them properly, jumbled together: “No, I actually, I actually wanted to see you and maybe, maybe if you had time sometimes, you could, we could go grab coffee or tea, or whatever you drink?”

Evgeni blinked at him. “What?” he said, genuinely confused and Sidney felt his face heat up. Of course, English wasn't Evgeni's first language and even if it was, Sidney wasn't sure that the sentence would be comprehensible at all.

“Um,” he said, “I'm asking you out.”

“Oh,” Evgeni breathed out. “Date?”

Sidney was sure that his face was bright red by this point. “Yes. Um, I don't. It's okay if you don't want it.”

But Evgeni smiled instantly, widely and honestly, and nodded. “Yes. I like that.” He paused, then reached for Sidney's pocket – Sidney flinched only a little – and pulled the pen out of there. He took Sidney's hand and wrote his number on Sidney's palm. “Call, yes? We talk about date,” he said, returning the pen and still smiling, walked inside the building.

Sidney let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. That went well, he thought. He couldn't stop smiling as he walked away to get all the letters delivered, and smiled at the grumpy old men in front of the retirement home and nodded when they told him that he should find a nice young lady. 

The thing was, he did like his job. It brought some amazing things in Sidney's life.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm toying with the idea of writing the sequel cause I bet their first date would be adorable and all, and if I don't write it, or even if I do, someone should write it as well.


End file.
